Videogame systems continue to be of great popularity among consumers of all ages. Videogames are no longer just for the young, and there are games and activities for all ages. A large percentage of households and even many offices have at least one videogame system. Modern videogame systems typically include a console, one or more handheld controllers, an audiovisual system, and a remote.
The console runs the videogame program, plays DVD or other media, runs applications, accesses the Internet and performs other like functions. The handheld controllers, sometimes referred to as gaming controllers, joypads or gamepads, transmit signals to the console to implement desired functionality in the videogame environment. For example, the handheld controllers can send signals to control game characters and instruments, adjust game setup, navigate through the gaming environment, and otherwise control the system. The audiovisual system presents sounds and images corresponding to the game or other application being run on the console using audio and video signals received from the console. The system remote, if included, controls settings and features of the audiovisual system and/or the console. For example, the system remote may provide audio control for the audiovisual system.
The audiovisual systems most commonly used among gamers are television sets or monitors. Television sets can convey both the audible sounds and visual images of the videogame based on the audio and video input signals received from the console. In some instances gamers prefer to use a headset or other earphone device as an alternative to television speakers. And in some instances gamers switch back and forth between a headset and a television to provide the relevant audio.
In some modern videogame systems, users may adjust the audio of the audio produced by a connected headset by pressing buttons on their handheld controller. However, when the user switches from using the headset to using the television for audio (or simply begins by using the television's audio functionality) the user cannot adjust the audio of the television audio from their handheld controller. Instead, to change the audio of the audio outputted by the television a user must operate the remote. This can be frustrating to gamers for various reasons. First, frustration can arise because the gamer is forced to locate and operate another device (the remote) to change the audio output from the television. This often means the user must pause the game (to the extent it can be paused) while they adjust the audio; or the user must take one of their hands off the controller to operate the audio up or audio down buttons on the remote while the videogame continues. Each of these drawbacks, among others, can compromise the gamer's performance in the videogame and/or interrupt the user's gaming experience.